Oyster Cal News

MONDAY, June 6, 2016 – Antacids that contain aspirin may cause stomach or intestinal bleeding in rare cases, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said Monday. Since it issued a warning about serious bleeding risk with aspirin in 2009, the FDA has recorded eight new cases of serious bleeding caused by aspirin-containing antacid products sold over-the-counter, which include Alka Seltzer and Bromo Seltzer. In some of those cases, patients required a blood transfusion, the agency said in a news release. "Take a close look at the Drug Facts label, and if the product has aspirin, consider choosing something else for your stomach symptoms," Dr. Karen Murry Mahoney, deputy director of the division of nonprescription drug products, said in the release. "Unless people read the Drug Facts label when they're looking for stomach symptom relief, they might not even think about the possibility ... Read more

-- If you've eaten too much or indulged in a food that's greasy, fatty or spicy, you may have an uncomfortable feeling known as indigestion. Here are common symptoms, courtesy of the Cleveland Clinic: A burning sensation in the stomach or upper abdomen. An acidic taste in the mouth. Pain in the abdomen. Occasional diarrhea. Bloatedness or gassiness. Vomiting or nausea. Growling stomach. Read more

TUESDAY, May 10, 2016 – A popular over-the-counter heartburn medication accelerated aging of blood vessel cells in lab tests, raising red flags about its long-term effect on heart health, researchers say. Faster aging of blood vessel cells exposed to the antacid Nexium (esomeprazole) might potentially hinder the tasks these cells perform to prevent heart attack and stroke, the new study suggests. These lab results could explain why other studies have shown increased risk of heart disease in people who use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) – the class of heartburn medication that includes Nexium, said study senior author Dr. John Cooke. "Our finding that the lining of blood vessels is impaired by proton pump inhibitors is a unifying mechanism for the reports that PPI users are at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and renal failure," said Cooke, chair of cardiovascular sciences at the ... Read more

TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2015 – People with a history of kidney stones may have a higher risk of recurrence if they use calcium supplements, a new study finds. The findings, based on records from more than 2,000 patients, add to evidence linking calcium supplements to kidney stone risk. But researchers also said that people taking calcium under a doctor's advice should not stop on their own. "We're definitely not advocating that people stop taking calcium supplements if their doctor prescribed them for their bone health," said Christopher Loftus, the lead researcher on the study and an M.D. candidate at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Loftus is scheduled to present his findings next month at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in San Diego. Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical ... Read more

TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2015 – Extra calcium may not protect your aging bones after all. New Zealand researchers who analyzed more than 100 previous investigations say guidelines advising seniors to consume at least 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day are misplaced. No proof was found that boosting calcium intake beyond normal dietary levels strengthens older bones or prevents fractures, said researcher Dr. Mark Bolland. "We've gathered all the clinical studies of calcium supplements and dietary calcium intake for both bone density and fractures," said Bolland, an associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Auckland. "Taken together, we think this is the strongest possible evidence that taking calcium supplements will not be beneficial unless there are clear medical reasons that a calcium supplement is needed," he said. Moreover, excess calcium ... Read more

-- Over-the-counter antacids are generally safe to help ease heartburn. But, there are some people who should check with their doctor before taking them. The American Academy of Family Physicians says you should get your doctor's OK if you: have kidney disease, are postmenopausal, have had a Clostridium difficile infection, are elderly, have a compromised immune system. Read more

THURSDAY, June 11, 2015 – Many American children and teens aren't consuming enough liquids – especially water – and that lack of hydration could affect their physical and mental health, a new study suggests. The findings "highlight a potential health issue that has not been given a whole lot of attention in the past," study author Erica Kenney, a postdoctoral research fellow in social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a Harvard news release. "Even though for most of these kids this is not an immediate, dramatic health threat, this is an issue that could really be reducing quality of life and well-being for many, many children and youth," she added. One expert in child health agreed. "Children – due to their slower acclimation to heat and greater surface area than adults – can be more susceptible to dehydration than adults," said Nancy ... Read more

-- Painful leg cramps can happen to anyone, but tend to be common among seniors. The AARP recommends: Gently stretch and flex the leg to ease a cramp. Ask your doctor if a medication, such as a statin or diuretic, could be causing your leg cramps. Make sure your electrolyte levels are normal. Below-normal levels of potassium, magnesium or calcium could trigger leg cramps. Drink plenty of fluids. Make sure the covers aren't too tight on your bed. Choose shoes with proper arch support. Read more

FRIDAY, May 30, 2014 – In the wake of concerns that calcium supplements increase the risk for heart attack or stroke, a large, new U.S. study offers women and their doctors some reassurance. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found, in a study of more than 74,000 women, that these supplements are safe in terms of heart health. Millions of women take calcium supplements in an attempt to boost bone strength, especially after menopause when the risk of fractures increases. This is so even though experts generally recommend that calcium come from diet rather than supplements. "One study found that more than 60 percent of women 60 and over were taking calcium supplements," said lead researcher Dr. Julie Paik of the hospital's Channing Division of Network Medicine. Some recent research has linked calcium supplementation with heart disease. Such studies suggested the ... Read more

THURSDAY, May 23 – People who suffer from frequent heartburn may be at increased risk for cancers of the throat and vocal cords even if they don't smoke or drink alcohol, a new study says. Interestingly, common over-the-counter antacids seemed to protect against these cancers while prescription medications such as Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid didn't, the researchers said. "There has been a controversy about whether heartburn contributes to cancers of the larynx or pharynx," said lead researcher Scott Langevin, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brown University in Providence, R.I. "And we found out that it does elevate the risk of these cancers. There is about a 78 percent increase in the risk for cancer in people who experience heavy heartburn," he said. "This is important in figuring out who to monitor more closely." The other finding, which Langevin called "surprising," was the ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, April 10 – Consuming higher amounts of calcium may lower the likelihood of precancerous colon and rectal lesions in people who are at increased risk due to variations in two genes, a new study suggests. High calcium intake did not affect risk in people without the genetic variations. The findings may help explain inconsistent results in previous research about the link between calcium intake and the risk for these lesions, called colorectal adenomas, the researchers said. They also said the findings may help identify patients who would benefit from calcium supplements or higher levels of calcium in their diet. The study of nearly 6,000 people in Tennessee found that patients with the highest calcium intake had no reduced risk for colorectal adenomas if they had no variations in two genes – KCNJ1 and SLC12A1 – that are essential in calcium reabsorption in the kidneys. ... Read more

MONDAY, Feb. 25 – Healthy older women should not take calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent fractures, according to a final recommendation issued Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In healthy adults, lower doses of calcium and vitamin D seem to be ineffective. As for higher doses, it's still up in the air, the government group said. The new recommendations do not apply to people who are known to be vitamin D-deficient or who already have osteoporosis, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) noted. Every year about 1.5 million fractures in the United States are attributed to osteoporosis, which is caused by a decrease in bone mass and density that makes bones fragile and more susceptible to a break. Almost half of all women older than 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime, according to the USPSTF. Calcium is one of the main ... Read more

TUESDAY, Feb. 12 – Women eating a high-calcium diet and taking calcium supplements adding up to more than 1,400 milligrams a day may be running nearly twice the risk of dying from heart disease, a large Swedish study suggests. Both men and women take calcium supplements to prevent bone loss. The new findings come on the heels of another recent study that found a similar increased risk of death related to calcium intake among men. "Many older adults increase dietary intake of calcium or take calcium supplements to prevent bone loss and there had been speculation that increased calcium intake with or without vitamin D could improve cardiovascular health," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, an American Heart Association spokesman who wasn't involved in the study. However, a number of recent studies have suggested that higher dietary intake or calcium supplementation may not only not improve ... Read more

MONDAY, Feb. 4 – Men taking calcium supplements may be running a nearly 20 percent increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests. Both men and women take calcium supplements to prevent bone loss. In this study of calcium intake, the risk of dying from heart disease was higher for men but not for women. "Increasing evidence indicates that too much supplemental calcium might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease," said Susanna Larsson, an associate professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm. Larsson, who was not part of the study but wrote an accompanying journal editorial, added that "the paradigm 'the more the better' seems invalid for calcium supplementation." The report was published in the Feb. 4 online edition of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. To find out if calcium supplements were ... Read more

THURSDAY, Aug. 9 – Although they're standard treatment for men with prostate cancer who are taking hormonal therapy, calcium and vitamin D supplements may do more harm than good, according to a new study. Men who undergo hormone-depletion therapy for prostate cancer are at risk for osteoporosis, but the supplements do not prevent this bone loss and may actually boost patients' odds for heart disease and aggressive prostate cancer, research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center suggests. "Calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation to prevent loss of bone mineral density in these men seems so logical that no one had questioned whether it works," study co-author, Mridul Datta, a postdoctoral fellow at Wake Forest Baptist, explained in a hospital news release. "It wouldn't be so bad if there simply was no obvious benefit," added the study's lead author, Gary Schwartz, a prostate cancer ... Read more